how slowing down helps you see more deeply

Clearing Storm. Lake Lanier. It is tempting to pack up the camera and head home on dark, stormy days, but sometimes the clouds break and a little light gets in. Photo ©2024 Lee Anne White

At the end of each of my workshops, I’m always curious to hear one thing that each student learned. Certainly, I hope they learned more than one thing, but I have discovered over the years from taking workshops myself that amid all the little things, there is usually one key concept that tends to stick with me long term which I always associate with an instructor. And, interestingly, I once had a student tell me that she takes workshops with this very intention—to learn one new thing that will help her grow as a photographer. Sometimes our takeaway has to do with something an instructor said; more often, it has to do with personal learnings based on the way we worked or a particular experience. It almost always has to do with what we need at that particular point in our overall learning process.

One of the themes that came out during reflection with my recent Advanced Nature Studio students was the idea of slowing down and working a subject. It was stated in different ways. One student remarked that she had “never been good at slowing down.” Another said, “...just keep looking any way possible.” Other comments included, “Experiment, keep at it...,” “Show up and do the work,” and “Patience.” One expounded a bit on the subject: “I learned that creating a soulful photograph requires some technical skills, to be sure, but, much more importantly, it requires a state of mind defined by openness, exploration, discovery and patience.”

Slowing down is one of the toughest lessons to learn—whether photographing in the studio or in the field. Perhaps that’s because we live in a fast paced world where the focus is more on productivity than process. Slowing down requires a deliberate, conscious effort for most of us—one that requires becoming more aware of both our subject and ourselves. It’s about seeing that sense of gesture in a plant, thinking about those who came before and lived on this very ground, trying to understand a designer’s intentions in a garden, or paying attention to the way a place makes us feel. Technical skills and techniques are important, but only if they help us communicate—to provide insight about a subject, tell a story, spark a memory, convey a mood, convey an idea or express a feeling.

I believe we can benefit from slowing down when we look at photographs, too. From time to time, I hear about a professor who requires students to look at a single photograph or other artwork in a museum for three hours. In these days of mass consumption and endless scrolling, I suspect it is rare for anyone to look deeply at a single work of art for more than three minutes (though I hope I’m wrong about that). Rather than moving continuously through dozens of photographs in a matter of minutes on social media, try looking at one print or even just a single photograph, full-screen, on a photographer’s website for more than a few minutes. Think about what compelled you to choose this photograph. Pay attention to your first impressions. Observe how it makes you feel. What do you like about it? What works? What surprises and delights you? Consider the subject, the message and the techniques used to convey that message or create a mood. Look at the composition: Where does your eye go and how does it move about the frame? What is the relationship between the different elements in the frame? What role does lighting play? What other details do you notice?

Whether we are photographers, photography collectors or just enjoy looking at photographs from time to time, it helps to slow down, to pay closer attention and to notice details that, perhaps, we’ve never noticed before. What tends to catch your eye and attention when looking at photographs? For each of us, the answer will be different.

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